American Consumerism

I hate stuff. I like to reuse things. I hate lots of trash. I love this video about The Story of Stuff. Please click here to watch a great video that explains why I live in a small town that cares about the environment.

Here are 10 things you can do.

I can say honestly that I do the following religiously... I use my own bags at the grocery store, use my own coffee mug at the coffee shop (or ask for a mug 'for here'), ask at restaurants for tin foil instead of a "to-go" box of Styrofoam (if you know me, you know I HATE Styrofoam), I use cloth diapers and biodegradable diapers, I power down my computer and unplug unnecessary devices, buy local foods, I don't shop at Wal-Mart and I recycle glass and electronics, plastics and paper. Oh and when possible I support green companies like Patagonia, ship everything GROUND instead of overnight, live in a community where I can use alternative transportation: ride my bike and walk.

Things I should do: get a compost bin and compost food (every gardener should have one), buy an outdoor laundry line, purchase used clothing, get a plug-in hybrid vehicle, have an awesome garden with my own veggies, install solar panels in my home and have a rain water collection system.

Things I do that I know are bad that I try to do less of: fly in airplanes, use my car, buy things at big box stores, ship express packages, replace electronics and vehicles.

If we all try really hard, we can change things, slowly.

Mel + Ray | El Portal | Wedding | Sedona, AZ

This couple melted my heart with their story. As told to me by the bride...

Ray and I met when we were 10 (on the school bus), which is why we put
in our story that it was a 35 year journey to become husband and wife.
Ray and I lived in Blaine, WA at the time....out in the country. Ray
lived about a mile away. We used to ride Tahala, his horse, together in
the fields near our homes. We dated off and on through HS, as Ray moved
away when we were 15 and he came back to Washington when we were 16. We
went on our last date when we were 19 and then I moved away to eastern
WA.

Ray and I saw each other briefly 15 years ago in Washington when we were
30....it was just before I moved to AZ. Ray looked for me on
classmates.com this past August, 2007....he emailed
my brother on classmates.com searching for me. My brother forwarded the
email to me on Sept. 26, 2007 and I immediately called Ray....we talked
for about 4 hours on the phone. Ray and I got together the very next
day, Sept. 27 as he flew to Phoenix to see me. We got engaged Oct. 12
and then married Feb. 22.

Don't you love it?

Most brides wouldn't have ventured out in their gowns for a minute in the weather on Feb. 22-- but not Mel-- she made the most of the FREEZING weather and wet ground and managed to laugh her way through the entire photo session. Mel and Ray had fun even when the weather wasn't cooperating and that's no small task when you've been planning a perfect sunny Sedona day for months. Cheers to Mel and Ray-- may your marriage be full of the laughter you shared with me on your lovely wedding day. View their slideshow here

**Additionally I wanted to THANK Katrina Wallace of Sedona Bride about a million times for being my second shooter at this wedding. Her friendship is a blessing. I was 38 weeks pregnant that day and ended up delivering baby Owen 8 days later (coincidentally: I shot a wedding with Katrina when she was 37 weeks pregnant with Kaiden in 2006). Of course, I was perfectly capable of shooting it myself, (minus the laying on the ground shots) but it was great to have Katrina on board in case of an early delivery or early labor. Plus her images RULE and she gave me lots of peace of mind. Kudos to my lovely assistant, Jamelle Kelly, for being my Sherpa that day! Jamelle carried my gear with a smile and I love her for it.

Getting Ready: El Portal
Ceremony: Tlaquepaque Chapel
Coordinator: Sedona Wedding Planner: Karen Lynn
Flowers: Showstoppers Events

Maternity Leave | Owen update

I am still on "maternity leave" for four more weeks but album production is still going strong thanks to my lovely assistant, Jamelle Kelly. I am obviously still taking calls, emails and meetings, so don't hesitate to contact me. I have a lot of dates still available for 2008 because:

1) I'm not taking as many events this year so I can continue good customer service
2) It's been a slow booking season in general

Owen is growing like a weed and is already 8 weeks old. It's hard to believe that much time has elapsed but alas, it has. I will resume blogging now that the little guy finally naps with regularity, so check back with more frequency.

I have a Feb. wedding to post that I shot 7 days before I delivered baby Owen. I was 'scheduled' to edit/post it the following week. Mel and Ray, THANK YOU for being SOOOOOO patient and understanding. I have the best clients!

If you want to see more Owen photos you will have to check my baby business blog. I just figured if I posted it to this blog it would be TMI (too much information), so I created a separate blog just for the pregnancy and the baby. I will from time to time post a shot of the little guy on this blog, just for kicks.

Coconico Cycles

You might remember the fiasco from last year as I drove my bike into the garage, that is to say, I drove my car with my bike on the roof rack into our garage. AH HEM, my custom made bike, that is... so naturally the first person I called was Steve Garro of Coconico Cycles to rebuild my bike (last bike was also a Coconino). He has a 10 month waiting period... (very popular indeed) but I ordered it last year so my new bike is ready, too bad I'm not. I must be in the worst mountain biking shape of my life... but as Owen gets older and Mommy can get away more, I will get back on my bike. I went to Garro's shop about six weeks ago when my bike was getting the finishing touches and shot some photos of Steve working on it. He hand builds each frame according to your measurements. I loved my old Coconino it was my favorite bike EVER so I can't wait to ride my new pink one! It's not built up yet because we are waiting for a couple of parts that Matt and I forgot we needed. I got disk brakes this time... and a new shock, new tires, and new wheels!!! Garro built the wheels, which means that they are BOMBER!! The top tube is designed to be curved which is a nod to the old Klunkerz

If you didn't know one of the main reasons we live in Flagstaff is because we are avid mountain bikers. I know we'll be doing less mountain biking with the baby but hopefully he'll eventually love biking too.

Introducing my little man... Owen Wyatt Clark

Birthday!

Dr. Ron's Visit: Day 2

Day three: sunning to rid himself of bilirubin

So I haven't has a chance to update my laptop with a couple of programs, and it seems every time I get a chance to be on the computer it's on the laptop so click on these photos to see bigger. Next post about Owen will be larger photos.

I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on March 1, 2008. We didn't find out the sex until the birth so that was exciting and we named him Owen Wyatt Clark. He was 8 lbs and born at home in the care of some incredible midwives. To read more about the birth, babies, pregnancy and more, please check my very liberal "baby blog."